Ten Tiny Toes by Todd Tarpley, Illustrated by Marc Brown
Published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers
September 4th 2012
I am very picky when it come to books I share during my baby time programs at the Library. I was delighted when I opened Ten Tiny Toes. Yes, it’s as sweet as it sounds. Is there anything better than the tiny toes of a baby?
” They kicked and they crawled,
they dangles and danced,
they wiggled and wriggled
they preened and they pranced”
The simple story follows little ones as they grow through the years. The fact that in the end the book comes full circle will delight parents. Marc Brown has done a wonderful job with the illustrations. Large images grace every page and are full of texture. The perfect length for sharing during story time or a quiet moment at home; Ten Tiny Toes is one to buy for your home library and would make a fabulous baby gift.
You can take the experience one step further by adding a simple rhyme either before or after your read. This Little Piggy or This Little Cow are always favourites.
This little cow eats grass;
(Wiggle baby’s big toe)
This little cow eats hay;
(Wiggle baby’s second toe)
This little cow drinks water;
(Wiggle baby’s third toe)
This little cow runs away;
(Wiggle baby’s fourth toe)
This little cow does nothing
But laze around all day;
(Wiggle baby’s little toe)
We’ll tickle, tickle, tickle her
Because she lazes around all day.
(Tickle baby from top to bottom!)
Another activities I enjoy doing with the babies and their caregivers-usually during our last program of the session is making footprints. I pre-cut card stock in a variety of colours and use washable white paint and a sponge. I set up a table with the paint and cards and then another with a wash bin with warm water and paper towels.
Parents come to me at the painting station and then I assist them as they paint their child’s foot and press it gently on the card. It’s a bit of work, but a popular activity and the parents are delighted with their “souvenir” of their time in class. This would also work as an activity for home.
As Summer comes to a close it’s time to start planning the preschool storytimes as well as the other programs I’ll be offering in the Fall. Registration for the programs begin in just a few weeks.
In addition, other programs I’ll be offering at my branch include; Lego Block Party, Babytime, Reading Buddies, and a Music program. It will be a busy but fun filled Fall (I hope).
I don’t focus on themes for but these are the books I’m thinking of featuring through over the 8 weeks:
I’ll be posting the programs over the next several weeks. Make sure you subscribe or bookmark this site so you can follow as I post. I’d love to hear about your Fall programming plans as well.
There is a story that I vividly remember my mother reading to me as a child. I can remember the sound of her voice as she read the text, and when I think about that book, I remember every page, how the book smelled and it also brings back memories of my mother’s hugs, her warmth and the time she spent reading to me.
The Maggie B by Irene Haas is the book and it is my favourite picture book, because it has so much meaning for me.
Books are magical, I think; because of their power to connect us to moments in our lives.
There is a part of the story where Maggie (Margaret) is cooking a lobster and fish supper for her little brother James. For dessert, she careful cuts ripe peaches in half, drizzles them with honey and cinnamon and bakes them in the oven. This scene is etched in my memory, as I remember thinking that there couldn’t be anything in the world, more delicious then baked peaches.
Last week I made this desert for my family and it is a moment that I will remember. I’m not one to spend too much time in the kitchen. In fact I totally dread cooking. Mostly, because I’m not very good at it. I gave this recipe a try though, and that fact that my son loved it was really just icing on the cake. He asked where I got the idea to make them…like it was a stroke of genius on my part. I told him about The Maggie B, and he smiled and then asked if I knew of any other picture books with good dessert recipes. 🙂
Is there a book from your childhood that brings you wonderful memories?
The Summer Reading Club is swinging in full gear at our library and it’s been wonderful having soooo many kids and their families participating in our programs…busy but fun:) The Summer Reading Club theme this year is Imagine.
Every Tuesday afternoon I run a drop in at our library called “Imagination Station”. It’s a bit of a laid back approach to programming where I set up a variety of activities crafts, games etc and invite families to join us for the afternoon. No registration, no limited space. Just drop in fun. I love just playing games with the kids, and spending the afternoon crafting and chatting. Turn out for this program has been fantastic and since the majority of our other programs require registration it’s nice not to turn anyone away. I’ll post a few of the activities we’ve been doing in these programs later this week.
Are you programs in the summer registered or drop in?
